This was the language of believers who recorded the revelations of God in the holy age. The Altar was still chasing that divine word, hoping it would be given to them as well. As such, the Altar wasn’t the same as their God or Quay. The Altar served Quay, but they had their thoughts and actions, and the pursuit of the divine language and the invention of a human chimera were both examples of such.
Therefore, Emperor Sophien had no choice but to be interested in the divine language.
“Deculein.”
They were in the spiral staircase leading to the highest floor of the Imperial Palace. Going up the passage, Sophien asked.
“Do you know the Altar?”
“I know their meaning. Do you know?”
“I know.”
A chuckle left her.
“If there is one thing that I’ve been preoccupied with since I’ve been freed from the infinite regression, it is religion. For a brief moment, I was obsessed with what damn bastard forced me into such an ordeal. The Altar stood out in particular.”
The Altar. Perhaps from the moment, she recognized their existence, Sophien had felt an instinctive hatred, hostility, and murderous intent toward them. Originally made as the body of a god, she must have realized that she could only survive if she broke the Altar through her soul’s instinct.
“The Altar shouted that God would come and change the continent. They claim to want to form a society without status, class, or power differences.”
“…It’s absurd, but what’s Your Majesty’s opinion?”
Sophien answered as she climbed the stairs.
“If all humans are the same, nothing is impossible. For there to be none of those things, all must be the same.”
I followed her without a word.
“Physical abilities, body size, height, health, as well as the possibilities given to them should all be the same, and they must all think the same thoughts. If they differ even in the slightest, they will always try to rule over someone else.”
Stomp-
Sophien stopped in front of a majestic door.
“That is human nature. At the same time, it is a human process. Humans will die, so they must achieve something. However, if all are the same… are they still human?”
Sophien sneered as she placed her hand on the doorknob.
Creeeek-
The giant door opened with ease.
“Come in. This is my warehouse, the emperor’s warehouse. I’ve only been here once before, though.”
The emperor’s warehouse was like a museum. All kinds of treasures were dazzlingly lined up in countless glass cases set to either side.
“I see that the history of the Empire is held here.”
“Do you think?”
Vision confirmed it as a treasure trove of immeasurable value. The least expensive item was a luxurious item that would cost tens of millions of Elnes, but Sophien led me to a desk near the back as if she didn’t care.
“If you want something, take it. I’ve no material greed.”
After saying that, Sophien smiled a little. Her smile was seductive.
“Now, show me the divine language.”
“Yes.”
I put the scroll on the desk.
Thud-
It spilled out over the long table.
“…”
Seeing it, Sophien closed her eyes for a moment and let out a sigh.
“It’s rough. Why are there so many things in this language?”
“For more than ten thousand years, this language’s rules, forms, and systems have changed from year to year. That is the divine word.”
“…”
Sophien rubbed her forehead.
“Then it’s impossible, isn’t it?”
“It is almost impossible, but with Your Majesty’s talent, we can do it. I intend to seek another talent to help Your Majesty as well. There are many talented linguists in the Empire.”
“Hmph. What can those half-assed bastards do?”
Sophien snorted and pulled a letter from her pocket. It was an official document sealed with the emperor’s mark.
“Before that, take this.”
“Could I ask you what-“
“It is an announcement for the destruction of the desert and the opening of the war against the Altar.”
Sophien answered briefly and grinned. I met her eyes.
“I will open the way to Annihilation. I will erase all traces of the Altar and the Demon Blood scattered across this continent, and I will kill their God.”
Sophien vowed it. Her voice suddenly reminded me of the revelation of God that Quay showed me.
[Your indulgence will bring me to death.]
The final revelation, which Quay called God’s will. Was it true that humans always repeated their history?
“But before that.”
The emperor sat down, and I knelt at her feet.
“Professor. Why did you discuss those feelings with me in Yuren?”
“I wanted to ask for confirmation.”
“…”
Sophien worked her lips silently. Her speed of judgment always exceeded the speed of sound, but she seemed at a loss this time. Or was she still thinking?
“…Asking for confirmation?”
Sophien asked.
“Will something change with that?”
“…”
Her lashes fluttered. I bowed my head.
“Hmph. Forget it.”
And then, the emperor’s slender fingers caressed my chin. She lifted my face toward her.
“I’ll forgive you this time since you found the divine language….”
She made me look at her and put her other hand on my shoulder. For a moment, the emperor’s weight pressed down on my shoulder. Her right hand, which was touching my chin, swept down to my neck, and her left hand, which rested on my shoulder, pulled me toward her. The movement, pulling me into an embrace, stopped as she came to her senses. But still stuck in that position, she put her lips to my ear and whispered.
“If you do something like that again, I will decide your punishment at my discretion, so remember that….”
I couldn’t dare ask what the punishment would be.
* * *
At the same time, in a very different location inside the Palace, Epherene and Lia were chatting.
“So this is the mathematical formula for gravity?”
“Yes. I think so.”
Lia was unraveling modern knowledge and explaining it so that Epherene could understand. Of course, she couldn’t explain the mathematical formula itself but gave a general overview.
“Yes. I think I can understand this. I can study a little more. This is interesting. This author is awesome… I would like to visit him.”
“Let’s go together. Please.”
For reference, the author’s name was Caasi. It was a pun on Isaac Newton’s name.
“…And about those nanoparticles?”
“Nanotubes?”
“Yes. I’ve been thinking about how to use it.”
Epherene was an important Named, so Lia also tried to accept and actively use her modern knowledge to help.
“Yes. Tell me. I will listen.”
“Yes. For example… we can shape the particles and then put them over the body. Like a suit.”
“Suit?”
“Yeah… something like that…”
The name of a few superheroes came to mind, but Lia managed to remain quiet.
“Anyway. If we can manipulate these mana particles, we can put them over our bodies like clothes, right?”
“I guess so?”
“Try it like that.”
“…?”
Epherene tilted her head and tried to put it into action. Condensing her mana into polymers, she stretched it over her hand like a glove.
“…Done.”
“Wow! So now think of some good qualities for it to have. You said mana could be anything, right? If you think that it’s firm…”
Epherene closed her eyes and instilled the idea of ’becoming the hardest’ in the gloves.
“…I did it.”
Epherene opened her eyes again. The mana glove on her right hand was already dyed gray.
“Then use it anywhere in here now.”
“Anywhere?”
“Yes.”
Epherene shrugged and patted the table lightly. Very slightly-
Crack-!
The table was destroyed.
“…”
“…”
Gulp—
Epherene and Lia swallowed as they looked at the ruined table. It was a metal table from the Imperial Palace, but it shattered as soon as she touched it.
“It’s… awesome. Now, put it all over your body, and you’re done.”
“All over my body?”
“Yes.”
“Okay~, thank you. I’ll add this to my thesis too. Do you want me to put your name on it too?”
“No, no. I’m fine.”
“Okay…”
Epherene yawned and leaned back. She was tired from studying for too long. She threw herself on the bed and watched Lia.
“But Lia. Do you have a boyfriend?”
“…Yes? Oh, that… what about you?”
“No. But why are you avoiding the answer?”
“…”
Lia gently scratched the back of her neck. Boyfriend? She never thought she would hear such a word in a place like this.
“Oh~. I guess you do, huh~?”
Epherene smirked and raised an eyebrow. Lia shook her head.
“…I did, but I was dumped.”
“Dumped? Are you at that age already? It’s precocious, precocious~.”
Lia’s eyes narrowed.
“And you’ve never dated before.”
“W-What?! What do you mean?!”
Epherene jumped off the bed. Lia snorted.
“Am I wrong?”
“No… um…”
Epherene wanted to retort, but she was afraid she would be caught in her lies…
“W-What about you?! I think you still like that ex-boyfriend?! No, you do! You have regrets!”
She returned with an attack rather than an answer, pointing at Lia.
“…”
But Lia’s reaction was quite serious. She lowered her head in contemplation and wrung her hands. Epherene felt she just became the mean one, so she backed off.
“No, no. Why do you have to be so serious-“
“Nope. I do still like him. I think you’re right.”
“…”
Lia responded with a dark look. Epherene grew increasingly curious about what kind of love this little girl had.
‘But why the hell have I never dated?’
“Then why don’t you have the courage to go find him?”
“I can’t.”
Lia firmly shook her head. Epherene’s eyes went wide.
“Why not?”
“…I just can’t.”
Even if these quests were completed, she felt she shouldn’t visit him, not even if she returned to reality. She couldn’t. She was the one who couldn’t give him what he wanted.
“…Yeah, well. But don’t overcomplicate it.”
Lia looked up at Epherene and grunted.
“You’ve never been in a relationship.”
“…Hey.”
Epherene bit her lip but then continued with a sly smile.
“Anyway. This law of gravity we studied together is awesome. No, it’s more than that. Applying magic to this mathematical discovery… reality manipulation might be possible.”
Of course, magic such as gravity manipulation existed. The truth was while it was called gravity manipulation, it was nothing more than gathering air and crushing it. Strictly speaking, it was fluid manipulation. But what if they connected this formula to magic?
“Great. I completely set the way with today. This connection between science and magic that is my task and my calling-“
“Are you going to do it alone?”
“Yes. With who else would I do it? You are not a wizard.”
“Why don’t you ask your supervisor?
She must be referring to Deculein. Epherene shook her head.
“…The professor is not as open-minded as me. He sees science as a tool.”
“Oh.”
Lia immediately understood. Deculein was not a modern person but a conservative wizard. He wouldn’t be able to accept any magic that made science its master.
“Oh, right. But what about the stolen conversion formula?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t even try to find it.”
“…Really? Oh, wait!”
Suddenly, Lia’s eyes widened.
“That wizard who appeared in Yuren, you know! Isn’t that Vervaldi or something the author of this Principia?”
“Pffft.”
Epherene burst out laughing. Lia frowned.
“What? It makes sense.”
“…Oh. Okay. It does.”
Only Epherene and Arlos knew that Vervaldi’s submission was Deculein’s invention and that it would be used as Carla’s artificial heart after the expo was over.
“For now, I will sleep! I’m tired.”
Epherene laid back down and buried herself in the sheets. Lia glared at her for a moment before standing.
“Then I will go train.”
Now, it was time to train.
***
Drip, drip…
The city of Yuren in the rain. Kreto stared at the large poster attached to the high-rise building.
[Magic Exhibition Grand Prize ─ 「Star of Mana」, 「Vervaldi」]
[Invention Award selected by Floating Island ─ 「Star of Mana」, 「Vervaldi」 ]
“Vervaldi.”
He quietly whispered that name, smiling after a moment.
“…Vervaldi.”
Then he looked at the paper clutched in his hand. The official certificate of the expo with the label Gold Award he had received.
“…This is shameful.”
Kreto was the former emperor’s son and the current emperor’s younger brother. However, he didn’t have the political power and greed of his father or the talents of his sister. According to the public, he was the vaguest member of the royal family. Kreto also accepted that assessment to some extent.
“I tried my best.”
However, as for this magic exhibition, he aspired to leave a mark with his invention, and he put in a worthy effort.
“It doesn’t work.”
Kreto shuffled over and sat down on a nearby bench. He slowly closed his eyes under the pouring rain.
“…Talent makes people weak.”
Had he not been from the imperial family, if he had been a commoner, he would not have suffered as much as he is now.
Splash-
Amid contemplation, someone splashed rainwater on Kreto and sat next to him. Kreto glanced over.
“…Hello. I am Quay.”
A man in a robe introduced himself as their eyes met. He chuckled and nodded.
“Quay? Your name is unique.”
“Did something happen?”
“…Something?”
He mumbled and looked up into the cloudy sky.
“Are you from the expo?”
Quay just smiled.
“…Has it been revealed who Vervaldi is?”
“Not yet.”
“…Haha.”
Kreto smirked. Again, he looked at the gold medal in his hand.
“Talent is so unfair. It’s not that I didn’t work hard… but a work submitted by an unknown wizard without much thought pushed me to the background.”
“Really?”
“Yes. But what’s even more unfair is that I have no choice but to admit it. I have to admit that the talent of that unknown wizard is ten times greater than mine.”
“…Yes. It’s unfair.”
Quay nodded. Kreto shook his head, then suddenly felt something touch his hand and furrowed his brow. The man named Quay suddenly grabbed his hand.
“Will you come with me?”
“…Do you know who I am?”
“Prince Kreto.”
“Knowing that-“
Quay beckoned. The rain stopped falling, the dark clouds disappeared, the sky became clearer, and the sun was revealed all in a matter of seconds. Kreto looked at Quay with astonishment.
“…Who are you?”
When asked about his identity, Quay answered briefly.
“I’m God. I can give you what you want.”
* * *
Late at night.
Sophien, who was preoccupied with the divine language, was nodding off.
Snore… Snore…
Although she studied only for half a day, it was six hours of tremendous concentration. Her body may be akin to an Iron Man’s like my own, but her idleness remained.
“Your Majesty.”
I took off my coat and blanketed her.
“Have a nice sleep.”
After saying goodbye, I went into the Imperial Palace garden. It was a peaceful space with the sound of insects humming through the air under the moon.
I took out a small hand mirror and looked into it as I strolled among the flowers.
“…Julie.”
The mirror soon reflected Julie’s armor. Her struggles as she went back and forth from Annihilation were reflected through the glass.
─Hupp!
A voice reached me.
─Hupp!
It disturbed the night air.
─Hiyah!
It was quite noisy, catching my attention. I walked over, stepping through the bushes.
─Huhp!
It flowed from among the trees in the garden. As soon as I saw who it was, I was startled.
-Gosh, my abs.
She was polishing her mana while poking at her stomach. She was the adventurer who I was always reluctant to see since she resembled Yura.
-Let’s do it again.
Lia. It was still uncertain whether she could be called a Named or not. She was an Easter egg that Yura put in, but I had no idea what role she was playing.
─Whoooo…!
The mana she was exuding now was unique.
“…?”
No, it wasn’t just at the special level.
─…Huhp!
I could see things that the owner of talent couldn’t see with Vision, so I could grasp the value of that talent and Understand it more accurately than anyone else. I could observe those clear possibilities and potential visually.
“…”
In that sense, Lia’s appearance now made me lose my mind for a moment. I stared blankly at her.
─One more time.
Slowly, I approached closer between the trees for a better look with Vision.
—Kiyang!
Lia radiated mana, groaning. Her mana spread like a mist across the garden. Suddenly, a fly invaded the mist…
Buzz-!
It decomposed into water and fire with the sound of a spark.
“…Is it elementalization?”
It was a trait that was too strong in the game. The simple explanation was: the power to decompose everything that touched one’s mana into the most basic elements.
-Who’s there!
At that moment, Lia’s shrill cry cut through the air, and her mana rushed in like a scythe’s blade a second later.
Swooosh…
However, that mana scattered in front of me, joining the wind. The way she used her trait was too simplistic.
“…Huh?”
Lia noticed me belatedly.
“Professor?”
“Why are you in the Imperial Palace?”
“Yes? Oh, I’m going to stay here for…”
“More importantly.”
I took a step closer.
“Now you are too indecisive and simple.”
“…Yes?”
She responded innocently. Her face and habits resembled Yura too much.
“The way you use your talents… no, you don’t even know your talent. No, you’re letting it rot. It’s like putting a pearl necklace around a pig’s neck.”
* * *
“…It’s like putting a pearl necklace around a pig’s neck.”
Lia was looking up at Deculein. He suddenly showed up and started insulting her.
“The way I use… my talent?”
“Yes.”
“Uh…”
With Deculein’s sudden appearance, Lia was quite embarrassed. She was proud that she had trained very hard in her way. Maybe it was jealousy? Was he jealous? She was skeptical, but she asked anyway.
“You’re talking about elementalization, right? What about it?”
She acquired the talent from the Hidden Peace dungeon. It was one of the best S-grade traits in the game, and she was proud that this was her talent.
“First of all, you’re operating your mana in the wrong way.”
Lia frowned. Deculein’s intentions sounded even more questionable. It couldn’t be helped since no matter how different he was now, the main version of Deculein was a professor with an inferiority complex.
“…What are you doing out here?”
“It’s none of your business.”
“Have you been teaching the Emperor?”
Deculein didn’t answer. He continued to stare at her.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
Deculein took a deep breath, shook his head, and asked.
“Are you willing to learn?”
“…Yes?”
“I asked if you would like to learn from me.”
“What… what?”
“Your wrong use of mana and your talent should be corrected sooner rather than later. Ganesha taught you wrong.”
“Nope. I never learned from Ganesha. I learned it by myself.”
“…Ha.”
Deculein grinned.
“You’re like that even though you never learned it.”
“…”
Lia felt like she was being praised for some reason, but she still maintained her vigilance.
“Why all of a sudden? You were trying to kill us before.”
“You are different from before. And the only one I wanted to kill was the half-human, half-demon insect.”
Indeed, that was true. Deculein’s target was always Carlos.
“I’ll ask again. Do you want to learn from me?”
“…”
Whooosh…
Right at that moment, a cold wind swept past. Lia pouted in silence and kicked at the dirt. Meanwhile, Deculein made a chair with ductility and sat down. Then, he took out a notebook and started reading.
“…Ahem.”
Lia cleared her throat. Why was Deculein doing this here?
“What is that? What are you doing?”
“…”
Deculein raised his head.
“You. Do you have any talent for language?”
“Language?”
“Yes. The Imperial family is looking for a language expert. It doesn’t have to be you, but if you are an adventurer, you must have connections in that realm.”
“Language… runes?”
When Lia asked, Deculein withdrew his attention as if he decided she was of no use. He turned his attention back to the notebook. However, a strong flash of light suddenly went off in Lia’s mind.
“No way!”
Lia shouted.
“Divine language?!”
Deculein’s forehead twitched. His gaze narrowed sharply, and his eyes turned back to regard her. That reaction confirmed it; it was the divine language. Unbeknownst to her, Deculein had reached the final quest!
“How do you know about the divine language?”
Deculein asked. At the same time, the world turned upside down as Deculein’s Psychokinesis grabbed her by the shoes.
“Wait.”
“Speak.”
Deculein put the notebook away.
“How does someone like you know the divine language?”
She could sense the hostility in each word he spat out. Swallowing, Lia answered.
“…I know it too.”
“What.”
Among the countless texts in the divine language, she knew which were real and which were fake. No, she knew the most important revelation. She played this game dozens of times and read this script hundreds of times.
“‘Your indulgences will bring me to death.”
When Lia uttered God’s will, Deculein’s eyes widened, and his face contorted. Now he looked like a beast.
“Let me go, then let’s talk.”
